System and method for implementing membership program

ABSTRACT

A method of implementing a product and/or service promotion membership program, comprising the steps of: enrolling at least one business to participate in the membership program; obtaining personal information from a consumer; contacting the consumer to: obtain confirmation that the consumer desires to participate in the membership program; and obtain information about the consumer&#39;s interest in products or services provided by the participating business; and periodically providing information to the consumer concerning a promotion available to the consumer at the participating business.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS:

This application is a non-provisional application, and claims prioritybenefit, of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/470,468,filed Mar. 31, 2011. This application is also a non-provisionalapplication, and claims priority benefit, of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/499,399, filed Jun. 21, 2011. Both of theseapplications are incorporated herein by specific reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates generally to methods and systems forimplementing product and/or service promotion membership programs. Moreparticularly, the disclosure relates generally to methods and systemsfor implementing a membership program that does not require a consumerto pay a membership fee, use a membership card, or purchase coupons totake advantage of discounts, promotional offers, or other membershipbenefits from merchants.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various types of product and/or service promotion membership programshave existed in the art. These programs typically provide discounts andpromotional offers to their consumer members as a way to enhancerevenues for their merchant members. The discounts and promotionsencourage the consumer members to frequent the businesses of themerchant members where they will presumably purchase products and/orservices from the merchant members. However, existing membershipprograms typically require the consumer members to pay an annualmembership fee and/or use a membership card to take advantage ofmembership benefits. Other similar programs currently in use require theconsumer to purchase a coupon to take advantage of promotions. Thesearrangements are undesirable, though, because of the coupon required andthe need for the consumer to pay a fee to take advantage of thepromotion. Additionally, such coupons typically have an expiration dateand in some instances the consumer simply forgets to use the coupon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed embodiments overcome the disadvantages of the prior artthrough a membership program that includes:

-   -   a. enrolling at least one business to participate in the        membership program;    -   b. obtaining some personal information from a consumer who        visits a business participating in the membership program;    -   c. contacting the consumer to:        -   i. obtain confirmation that the consumer desires to            participate in the membership program; and        -   ii. obtain information about the consumer's interest in            products or services provided by the participating business;            and    -   d. periodically providing information to the consumer concerning        a promotion available to the consumer at the participating        business.

An important, but not required, aspect of the disclosed embodiments isthat the consumer is not required to purchase a coupon to take advantageof a promotion at the participating business. Another important, but notrequired, aspect of the disclosed embodiments is that the consumer isnot required to use a membership card.

Yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments is that the promotioninformation is provided to the consumer via the consumer's remotedevice. Still another aspect of the disclosed embodiments is that theconsumer takes advantage of the promotion at the business by showing thepromotion information on his or her remote device.

Yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments is that the personalinformation obtained in step b above is the consumer's phone number.Still another aspect of the disclosed embodiments is that as a part ofstep c above, personal information about the consumer is obtained,including the consumer's name. In some embodiments, as a further part ofstep c, the name of the consumer's significant other is obtained.

A further important, but not required, aspect of the disclosedembodiments is that when step d is performed, the information ispersonalized, for example, by using the consumer's name. A yet furtheraspect of the disclosed embodiments is that when step d is performed,the information may be personalized by using the significant other'sname.

The disclosed embodiments also overcome the disadvantages of the priorart through a membership program that includes:

-   -   a. enrolling at least one business to participate in the        membership program;    -   b. obtaining some personal information from a consumer who        visits a business participating in the membership program;    -   c. contacting the consumer via a remote device belonging to the        consumer to:        -   i. obtain confirmation that the consumer desires to            participate in the membership program; and        -   ii. obtain information about the consumer's interest in            products or services provided by the participating business;    -   d. periodically providing information to the consumer concerning        a promotion available to the consumer at the participating        business; and    -   e. not requiring the consumer to purchase coupons in order to        take advantage of the available promotion.

In another aspect of the disclosed membership program, a determinationmay be made as to whether the consumer takes advantage of the availablepromotion. This information may be important feedback to the business inorder evaluate the effectiveness of the membership program and/or topromote the effectiveness of the membership program to other businesses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the disclosed embodiments willbecome apparent from the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary flow chart showing a merchant-solicitedmember sign-up aspect of the disclosed membership program.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow chart showing a member sign-upaspect of the disclosed membership program.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow chart showing a merchant sign-upaspect of the disclosed membership program.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary system that may be used to implement thedisclosed membership program.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary server that may be used to implement thedisclosed membership program.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures described above and the written description of specificstructures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope ofwhat Applicants have invented or the scope of the appended claims.Rather, the figures and written description are provided to teach anyperson skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for whichpatent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions aredescribed or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons ofskill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actualcommercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodimentswill require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve thedeveloper's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Suchimplementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are notlimited to, compliance with system-related, business-related,government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specificimplementation, location, and from time to time. While a developer'sefforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, suchefforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skillin this art having benefit of this disclosure. It must be understoodthat the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible tonumerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Lastly, theuse of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, “a,” is notintended as limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relationalterms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,”“upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are used in thewritten description for clarity in specific reference to the figures andare not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appendedclaims.

As mentioned above, the disclosed embodiments relate to a product and/orservice promotion membership program. The membership program ispreferably a Web-based VIP membership program that is operable byadministrators and accessible by users via a Web site. In oneembodiment, the disclosed VIP membership program has restaurants andbars and the customers thereof as an industry focus. However, thosehaving ordinary skill in the art will understand that the principles andconcepts disclosed herein are equally applicable to membership programsfocusing on other industries, including the hotel industry, travelindustry, gaming industry, and the like.

In the exemplary Web-based VIP membership program, all the standardfunctionality of registration, user name and password, and the like, isavailable for each member. Communication of promotional events,discounts, and other information in such a Web-based VIP membershipprogram may be conducted electronically, for example, by text messages,emails, Twitter feeds, and the like. The effectiveness and potentialsuccess of such a membership program is generally defined around thesize, demographics, and quality of the members and merchants databases.To this end, sign-up for VIP membership should be easy, risk free, andrequire a minimum amount of personal information. The VIP members mayjoin the membership program through their own accord, but preferably theVIP merchants identify and solicit specific customers for sign-up basedon, for example, the amounts spent by the customers, frequency of theirvisits, and other similar criteria. From the viewpoint of the VIPmerchants, the process of signing up members should be easy forwaitpersons and other personnel to perform, and should not interrupt theflow of the restaurant's or bar's (or other businesses') basic servicemodel. Additionally, for VIP merchants, the process of communicatingpromotions to VIP members should be automatic and easily managed fromthe perspective of tracking the discounts offered. Following is adescription of one possible implementation of the disclosed VIPmembership program.

In general, customers may be solicited by any restaurant or other VIPmerchant that is a member of the VIP membership program to join the VIPmembership program. The customers may be informed that they may joinsimply by sending an electronic message (e.g., text, email, etc.) to therestaurant's VIP membership account (e.g., VIP PFChangs). The customersmay thereafter receive a confirmation message in which they may be askedto immediately reply and confirm. Doing so completes the registrationprocess and the customers are now VIP members.

A similar process may be employed for other businesses, such as varioustypes of hotels, casinos, resort and vacation condominiums, includingtimeshares, and the like. For example, when customers check in to ahotel that is a VIP merchant, the hotel clerk, receptionist, concierge,or other hotel personnel may invite the customers to join the VIPmembership program. The customers may be invited, for example, to send atext, email, or other electronic message to the hotel's VIP membershipaccount (e.g., VIP Marriott). The customers may then receive aconfirmation message in which they may be asked to reply to confirm,typically with their first name, and sometimes also their ZIP code, thatthey have elected to join the VIP membership program.

In the above restaurant, bar, hotel, casino, resort, and otherembodiments, once the customers have indicated their consent orotherwise agreed to join the VIP membership program, it is also possiblefor the VIP merchant employee to immediately initiate the VIP membershipsign-up process for the customers. For example, the VIP merchantemployee may initiate the process for the customers by sending them atext, email, or other electronic invitation message from the restaurantor hotel VIP membership account (assuming the VIP merchant has or canobtain the customers' electronic messaging information). The electronicinvitation message may request that the customers reply to the messageto join the VIP membership program and, in a typical embodiment, may askthe customers to include their first name and possibly their ZIP codetoo in the reply. In any case, this approach helps further simplify thesign-up process for the customers in that they need simply reply to theelectronic invitation message to join the VIP membership program. VIPmerchants may also benefit from this approach insofar as it allows themto proactively initiate the sign-up process for their customers ratherthan waiting for the customers to start the process. Both parties maybenefit from this approach as the VIP membership account may beautomatically populated with the customers', or VIP members',information already contained in the VIP merchants' system(s).

Customers may also join via the VIP membership program Web site. As partof that process, these customers may be asked several preferably“yes”/“no” questions to qualify as a member. Answering “yes” to aminimum number of these questions (e.g., 50%) may qualify them as amember, and they may receive a notice within a predefined period (e.g.,24 hours) that they have been accepted as members. These new members mayalso be asked to refer their friends, co-workers, relatives, and thelike, to become members of the VIP membership program. The referral maybe accomplished using a Web form that asks the member to provide, forexample, the email addresses of such friends, co-workers, relatives, andthe like. In one embodiment, the qualification process, the “yes”/“no”questions to qualify, is only used when a potential member comes to theWeb site on their own. However, in other embodiments, the qualificationprocess may be used for referrals as well. Of course, in the preferredembodiment, VIP members referred by VIP Merchants are preferablyautomatically enrolled.

The new member confirmation message may include a thank-you along with arequest that the new member reply with their first name and, in somecases, their zip code as well. The message may also include a link to apreference page asking them to provide certain personal information,such as gender, favorite entrées, appetizers, drinks, desserts, name ofsignificant others, zip code, and/or email address. This preferenceinformation may be used to populate periodic (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly,etc.) and possibly occasion-specific (e.g., holidays, birthdays, etc.)offers to the members via text message, email, Twitter feed, and thelike. In the event the member procrastinates or forgets to fill out thepreference page, their first name and zip code may be used to designpromotion offers for that member until such time when the member cancomplete the preference page.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show flowcharts illustrating examples of the disclosedmembership sign-up processes. As can be seen in FIG. 1, amerchant-solicited member enrollment process 100 may begin at block 102,where restaurant personnel invite customers to become a VIP member byhaving the customers send a text or email message to the restaurant VIPaccount (e.g., VIP Restaurant). At block 104, a confirmation message issent requesting that the customer reply with their first name and zipcode and containing a link to a registration and preference page.Alternatively, as mentioned above, once a customer has indicated theirconsent to become a VIP member, the restaurant personnel may promptlyinitiate the sign-up process for the customers by sending them a text oremail message requesting that they reply with their first name and zipcode, and containing a link to the registration and preference page. Atblock 106, the customers clicks on the link, goes to the preferencepage, and fills in the their preferences, after which a thank-youmessage is sent congratulating the customers on becoming a VIP memberand informing them that perks are coming soon. The preferenceinformation may then be used to customize promotional offers and VIPperks for the new member, to be sent by text or email message on aregular basis (e.g., once or twice per week) to the new member. At block108, if the customers do not complete their preferences within apredefined period of time, reminder messages may be sent inviting themto complete the preferences. Pre-prepared generic promotion messages maybe sent to the member on a regular basis (e.g., weekly) until such timewhen the member provides their preferences. Examples of such genericpromotion messages may include “one free entree with a paid entrée ofequal or greater price,” or “25% off on your entire meal,” or “freeappetizer with your paid entrée,” or “free dessert with your paidentrée,” and the like. VIP merchants may be selected automatically forthe member from a list of available VIP merchants based on the member'szip code (e.g., merchants within 5 miles of the zip code) for purposesof the generic promotion messages.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart illustrating a sign-up process 200 thatconsumers may initiate of their own accord by visiting the VIPmembership program Web page. At block 202, the member candidate isinvited to click on a link, such as JOIN NOW, to become a VIP member.The candidate is then asked a number of qualifying questions at block204. At block 206, if a majority of the answers are affirmative, thecandidate is accepted as a VIP member. At block 210, a confirmationmessage is sent to the new member requesting that they reply with theirfirst name and zip code and providing a link to a preference page. Atblock 212, the new member completes the preference page and a thank-youmessage is sent confirming that the member has completed the VIPmembership enrollment process. Until the member completes the preferencepage, however, only predefined generic promotions will be sent to themember, with VIP merchants automatically selected for the member basedon their zip code. At block 208, if the majority of the answers arenegative, the candidate is informed that their membership is denied, butthat they may reapply after some predefined period of time.

Once the membership enrollment process is completed, predefinedpromotional and/or discount offers may be developed for each VIP membersuch that the VIP merchants do not have to direct, manage, or deal withthe creation of the offers in any fashion. The VIP merchant need onlyapprove the offers, give the VIP members priority seating at all times,and on a periodic basis (e.g., monthly), provide the VIP members atleast one free item, such as a free entrée with a purchased entrée, afree drink with dinner, a free dessert, a free appetizer, a 10 percentdiscount on an entire meal, or a 25 percent discount on all food items.These offers are preferably standardized each week (or some otherinterval) so the merchant's personnel may be easily informed (e.g., theVIP offer of the week is a free drink with dinner, etc.). The VIP membermay then present their virtual VIP membership ID, for example, via theirsmart phones or other mobile devices, and be eligible to receive thatweek's promotion or discount.

In most embodiments, there is no membership fee for VIP members.However, the VIP membership program may charge VIP merchants a fee on ayearly, quarterly, or monthly basis. In addition, or alternatively,individual VIP merchants may be charged on a per message basis for thepromotional offers sent to VIP members on each merchant's behalf. It isalso possible to implement a combination of the two models, for example,the first 1000 offer messages may be free each quarter, but allsubsequent messages may be charged on a per message basis. The VIPmembership Web site may be set up to provide a reporting page for eachmerchant showing certain information about their account, such as howmany VIP members they have, how many messages have been sent month todate, the number of free messages remaining, and the like.

One or more databases may be used to store and track informationconcerning the VIP members and merchants, including preferenceinformation for the VIP members. The database for the VIP members inparticular may be searchable, such as by zip code, area code, and thelike. This allows a VIP membership application to run customizedcampaigns for VIP merchants by specifically targeting theirneighborhoods with special offers to members in their areas, potentiallyresulting in additional revenue for the merchants (as well as the VIPmembership program).

VIP members may be encouraged to recommend/nominate both new members andmerchants, for example, by hosting contests and awarding points for eachnew member recommended. New VIP members nominated may earn the referringmember a predefined number of points (e.g., 1000 points), andnewly-referred VIP merchants may earn the referring member anotherpredefined number of points (e.g., 10,000 points). VIP members may alsoearn Gold, Platinum, or Diamond status each year, and may furtherqualify for gifts, trips, premiums from a catalogue in exchange forthese points each year.

The VIP membership program preferably provides each VIP merchant with atemplate mobile site as their Web page on the VIP membership Web site.This Web page may feature the merchant's look-and-feel, include photosof their restaurant that can be rotated on their page, and may includeinformation such as address/directions, menu, prices, and the like. VIPmembers may also be able to place “to go” orders and pay for them inadvance on these Web pages. The VIP membership program may then processthe payment of these orders, thereby generating additional revenue inthe form of payment processing fees for the program. Savings may alsoaccrue for the merchants. In one example, if the merchants do at least$1 million or more in processing of credit cards each year through theprogram, they may realize a savings of up to half of 1% of their costsof processing. An example of a process that may be used to enroll amember-nominated merchant is illustrated in FIG. 3.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, a flowchart depicting a member-nominatedmerchant enrollment process 300 begins at block 302, where a membernominates a merchant to join the VIP membership program by submittingthe merchant's name via the program Web site or sending a message toprogram administrative personnel. At block 304, program personnelcontacts the merchant for an appointment to discuss becoming a VIPmerchant. At block 306, the merchant signs up to become a VIP merchantby agreeing to the membership fee and other program charges. In oneexample, the merchant may be charged $297 per quarter for a predefinednumber of text messages sent by the program to VIP members on themerchant's behalf, plus $0.30 per text message thereafter. At block 308,program personnel enters the merchant's data needed for setting up themerchant's Web page on the VIP membership Web site into the programdatabase. At block 310, setup of the Web page for the merchant iscompleted, and a thank-you message is sent confirming the merchant's VIPmembership. At block 312, a thank-you message is also sent to thereferring VIP member informing them that they have received a certainnumber of points (e.g., 30,000 points) for the successful referral.

A homepage may also be provided for VIP members. The VIP member homepagemay provide links to the various VIP merchants and may offer the memberscertain perks, such as free drinks, and the like. These perks may be ina particular format, such as a “Perk of the Day,” “Perk of the Week,”“Perk of the Month,” and so forth. The membership program may charge theVIP merchants an additional fee for hosting the perk of the day, and maycharge an extra fee, such as a per-click fee, for displaying additionalVIP member perks on the VIP member homepage.

Turning now to FIG. 4, an exemplary system 400 is shown that may be usedto implement the VIP membership program disclosed herein. As can beseen, the system 400 includes a plurality of computing devices 402, 404,406, and 408 connected to a communication network 420 having at leastone Web server 410 and one or more databases 412 connected thereto. Inthe example shown, the computing devices 402 and 404 are typicallymobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, and the likethat are commonly used by members, such as Members A and B. Thecomputing devices 406 and 408, on the other hand, are more typicallytraditional computing devices, such as desktops and personal computerscommonly used by merchants, such as Merchants 1 and 2, although thesedevices may also be mobile devices. These computing devices 402, 404,406, and 408 may connect to the communication network 420 using anysuitable network connections, including broadband connections 414,wireless connections 418, and the like.

Referring still to FIG. 4, the communication network 420 may be aprivate network such as a corporate intranet, or it may be a publicnetwork such as the Internet. The at least one Web server 410 and theone or more databases 412 that are connected to the communicationnetwork 420 may reside in the same physical location or in physicallyseparate locations, depending on the constraints (e.g., size, speed,etc.) of the particular implementation. In the present example, the atleast one Web server 410 may be a server that is capable of hosting aWeb-based application over the communication network 420, and the one ormore databases 412 may be relational databases, operational databases,or other suitable databases capable of storing data for the Web-basedapplication. The Web-based application, in accordance with the disclosedembodiments, is a VIP membership application that is capable ofimplementing a VIP membership program as described above.

In general operation, each of the VIP members and VIP merchants mayaccess the Web site hosted on the at least one Web server 410 via thecommunication network 420 using one of the computing devices 402, 404,406, and 408 by sending an electronic message to the address of the atleast one Web server 410 or by entering the URL of the Web server 410into a Web browser. Any data and information collected about the VIPmembers and VIP merchants may be stored and maintained in the one ormore databases 412.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary Web server that may be used as one ofthe at least one Web server 410 on the communication network 420. ThisWeb server 410 may be any suitable computing system known to thosehaving ordinary skill in the art, including a high-end personalcomputer, workstation, main frame, and the like, running Windows Server,Mac OS X Server, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Unix, z/OS, and the like.

Such a Web server 410 typically includes a bus 500 or othercommunication mechanism for transferring information within the Webserver 410 and a CPU 502 coupled with the bus 500 for processing theinformation. The Web server 410 may also include a main memory 504, suchas a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device coupledto the bus 500 for storing computer-readable instructions to be executedby the CPU 502. The main memory 504 may also be used for storingtemporary variables or other intermediate information during executionof the instructions to be executed by the CPU 502. The Web server 410may further include a read only memory (ROM) 506 or other static storagedevice coupled to the bus 500 for storing static information andinstructions for the CPU 502. A computer-readable storage device 508,such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, may be coupled to the bus 500for storing information and instructions for the CPU 502.

The term “computer-readable instructions” as used above refers to anyinstructions that may be performed by the CPU 502 and/or othercomponents of the Web server 410. Similarly, the term “computer-readablemedium” refers to any non-transitory storage medium that may be used tostore the computer-readable instructions. Such a computer-readablemedium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatilemedia, volatile media, and transmission media, but generally does notinclude transitory medium (e.g., electrical or optical signals, etc.).Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks,such as the storage device 508. Volatile media may include dynamicmemory, such as main memory 504. Transmission media may include coaxialcables, copper wire and fiber optics, including wires of the bus 500.Transmission itself may take the form of acoustic or light waves, suchas those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) datacommunications. Common forms of computer-readable media may include, forexample, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, othermagnetic medium, a CD ROM, DVD, other optical medium, a RAM, a PROM, anEPROM, a FLASH EPROM, other memory chip or cartridge, or any othertangible medium from which a computer can read.

The CPU 502 may also be coupled via the bus 500 to a display 510, suchas a liquid crystal display (LCD), cathode ray tube (CRT), and the likefor displaying information to a user. One or more input devices 512,including alphanumeric and other keyboards, mouse, trackball, cursordirection keys, and so forth, may be coupled to the bus 500 forcommunicating information and command selections to the CPU 502. Anetwork interface 514 provides two-way data communication between theWeb server 410 and other computers over the communication network 408.In one example, the network interface 514 may be an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card or a modem used to provide a datacommunication connection to a corresponding type of communication line.As another example, the network interface 514 may be a local areanetwork (LAN) card used to provide a data communication connection to acompatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented via the networkinterface 514. In summary, the main function of the network interface514 is to send and receive electrical, electromagnetic, optical, orother signals that carry digital data streams representing various typesof information.

In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, the computer-readablestorage device 508 may store thereon computer-readable instructionsrepresenting a VIP membership application 516. The computer-readableinstructions making up the VIP membership application 516 may then beexecuted by the CPU 502 and other components of the Web server 410 toimplement a VIP membership program as disclosed and described herein.Such a VIP membership application 516 may be written in any suitablecomputer programming language known to those of ordinary skill in theart. Examples of such computer programming languages include C, C++, C#,Java, PHP, Python, Visual Basic, and the like, using any suitablesoftware development platforms known to those of ordinary skill in theart.

While the disclosed embodiments have been described with reference toone or more particular implementations, these implementations are notintended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of theinvention. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatmany modifications and alterations to the disclosed embodiments areavailable.

For example, certain process steps may be repeated and/or combined. Morespecifically, by way of example, when a customer checks in to a VIPMerchant hotel, the customer may be asked if they would like to jointhat VIP Merchant's VIP membership program. If the customer wishes tobecome a VIP member, the information normally provided at check-in maybe used to populate that VIP Merchant's account. VIP membership programmay immediately, or within a relatively short time frame such as five toten minutes, send the new VIP member a confirmation message throughemail or text message asking them to reply, such as with their name, toconfirm that the consumer desires to participate in the membershipprogram. Doing so completes the registration process and the customersare now VIP members. The VIP member may also be prompted to providetheir preferences.

Periodically, throughout their stay with the VIP Merchant hotel, the VIPmembers may receive a message presenting them with a list of perks, andasking them to choose one of a plurality of perks. For example, in oneembodiment, an initial list may include dining, entertainment,nightlife, and shopping. When the VIP members make a selection, such asby replying with an indication of their selection, the VIP membershipprogram may immediately, or within a relatively short time frame, replywith a discount or free item in that category. There is preferably noneed to print a coupon. Rather, the VIP members merely present theirmobile device at the venue. Subsequent lists may include those all orsome of those categories from the initial list. For example, if the VIPmember selected dining from the initial list, a subsequent list may onlyinclude entertainment, nightlife, and shopping.

The initial and subsequent lists may be predetermined based upon wherethe

VIP Merchant wants to drive traffic, that VIP member's buying history,that VIP member's preferences, that VIP member's geography, or somecombination. For example, the initial list may include categories and/oritems that the VIP Merchant has indicated a desire to push, that the VIPmember has not previously purchased, but that the VIP member'spreferences suggests they would like. Alternatively, the initial andsubsequent lists may be completely or partially randomly generated. Forexample, subsequent lists may include predetermined categories notselected, as discussed above, but back filled by randomly determinedcategories.

These lists may also be mutli-layered. For example, if the VIP memberselected dining from the initial list, they may be then presented with alist of restaurants from which to choose. When the VIP member replieswith their selection, they are then sent the discount or free item fromthat restaurant that they may redeem by presenting their mobile deviceat the that restaurant.

These steps may also be extended across multiple visits. For example,subsequent lists, for subsequent visits, may be based on the initiallist from a VIP member's first visit. More specifically, such lists mayinclude categories not selected and/or perks not redeemed during theinitial visit, and/or based on buying patterns established during theinitial visit.

As discussed above, the messages sent to the VIP member may bepersonalized, beyond just using the VIP member's name. For example, themessages may be personalized to the VIP member's preferences, the VIPmember's significant other's name, and/or some combination. Morespecifically, by way of example, a perk may comprise a buy one get onedeal presented as “X's ‘drink/appetizer/entrée’ is free with yourpurchase of a ‘drink/appetizer/entrée’, where “X” is the VIP member'ssignificant other's name and ‘drink/appetizer/entrée’ is selected fromthe VIP member's preferences and/or based upon buying patterns, etc.Such messages may include appointment or reservation information.

Additionally, rather than require VIP member's to provide theirpreferences upon becoming joining a program, the VIP member'spreferences may be learned based on that VIP member's buying history.Similarly, a VIP member's preferences and/or qualifications to be a VIPmember may be corrected and/or changed based on that VIP member's buyinghistory. For example, if a VIP member indicates a preference for steaks,but never orders a steak and/or redeems perks for steaks, steaks may beremoved from their preferences after a predetermined time and/or numberof visits. Similarly, if a VIP member's buying history indicates thatthey no longer qualify, that VIP member may be enrolled in a lower-tierprogram, removed from the program, and/or encouraged to frequent the VIPmerchant more often to remain in the program. Alternatively, if a VIPmember's buying history indicates that they are an especially goodpatron, they may be automatically enrolled in a higher-tier program. Ahigher-tier program would preferably provide better perks and/or morefrequent perks than a lower-tier program.

In any case, it can be seen that the present invention is much more thanprior art coupon systems and/or prior art birthday clubs. For one thing,there is preferably no charge to the VIP Member, i.e. they are notexpected to buy into a deal as in prior art coupon systems. Anotherdifference is that Perks are preferably targeted, not just to VIPMembers but to VIP Members that who have indicated a preference for thatspecific, type, or category of Perk, i.e. dinner, entertainment, aspecific restaurant, a specific venue, a specificdrink/appetizer/entrée, etc. The Perks may also be personalized beyondjust a member's name and/or birthday. For example, the Perks may bepersonalized with combination deals with the VIP member's significantother and/or timed to coincide with a specific trip, not just an annualbirthday event. Thus, it can be seen that the program of the presentinvention avoids the shotgun approach (where all members are offered thesame perks and/or where members are offered a deal—typically the samedeal—for their birthday). Rather, it can be seen that the program of thepresent invention actually creates conversations between VIP Members andVIP Merchants, much more so than blanket text email programs, therebyfostering longer term relationships between VIP Members and VIPMerchants.

It is also interesting to note that either, or both, sides of theconversation can be passive, i.e. by tracking how a specific VIP Memberactually responds to the offers—which ones they choose to receive andwhich ones they actually redeem—the program provides the VIP Merchantwith more useful information than any stock questionnaire. For example,the VIP Merchant can verify, or alter, the VIP member's truepreferences. In this manner, the VIP Merchant may come to understand theVIP Members better than they understand themselves.

In one embodiment, a customer goes to the Web site and enters theirmobile phone number and/or email address. The system then sends them amessage, by text and/or email, asking the customer to reply with theirfirst name, as confirmation that they wish to join the VIP program.Further messages may include login information to the Web site and/orPerks messages, as discussed above. Logging in to the Web site allowsthe VIP Member to add personal information such as their full name,their zip code, their significant other's name, both birthdays, etc. TheWeb site also allows the VIP Member to sign up with specific VIPMerchants and/or provide preferences, such as a favorite entrée at a VIPMerchant restaurant, etc.

The Web site may also track points in a rewards program. For example,VIP Members may receive points for signing up, for referring othercustomers who qualify for VIP Membership, and/or referring merchants whoqualify and sign up to be VIP Merchants. Points may be redeemed forrewards, such as cash value at VIP Merchants, airfare and hotel paidtrips to desirable locations, access to VIP Member parties near the VIPMember's location, VIP Member apparel and other merchandise and/orrewards.

The VIP program for the present invention may also be applied to otherindustries and/or services. For example, in addition to restaurant andhotel services, as discussed above, the VIP program may be applied tomedical services for example. The perks messages may includerecommendations for services and/or service reminders. Morespecifically, communication of promotional events, discounts, and otherinformation may include communicating a prescription reminder that mayinclude a discount on the prescription, a recommended pharmacy, and/oran indication of promotional events at a pharmacy. VIP programcommunication may also facilitate communication between the VIP merchantand the VIP member by assisting in coordinating appointments,reservations, scheduling services and the like.

In one specific embodiment, the VIP Members may actually be patients orclients of a healthcare community and/or other healthcare entities;including but not limited to medical doctors, veterinarians, physicianassistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists,occupational therapists, hospitals, sleep clinics, home healthcompanies, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice centers,durable and non-durable medical suppliers. In this case, the program ofthe present invention may include: enrolling at least one medicalpractice/healthcare professional to participate in the membershipprogram; obtaining personal information from a patient; and contactingthe patient to—obtain confirmation that the patient desires toparticipate in the membership program and communicate with the VIPMember Patient and/or their VIP Merchant physician and/or healthcareprovider in a timely, simple fashion for any of a plurality of purposes.These purposes may include confirming an upcoming appointment for thepatient; monitoring compliance with prescribed therapies; sendingreminders to patients when they are due for prescription refills orblood work, etc.; coordinating pre-surgical and post-surgical logistics;coordinating inpatient stays and follow up; coordinating care betweenmultiple specialists; coordinating imaging studies such as MRI's andCT's; coordinating the logistics of delivery of durable and non-durablemedical supplies; coordinating home visits and hospice care;communicating sales, specials and discounts for various health careproducts and services; coordinating financial arrangements and bill pay;and/or sending educational and reference materials for the purpose ofeducating patient and clients about their disease processes.

According to certain aspects of the present inventions, the personalinformation obtained may include the patient's name, phone number and/oremail address. The personal information may be collected while thepatient is visiting the business, i.e. medical clinic, veterinaryclinic, hospital, imaging center, pharmacy, physical therapy clinic,occupational therapy clinic, sleep center, home health company, nursinghome, assisted living facility, hospice center, durable and non-durablemedical suppliers, etc. Communications sent to the VIP Patient may bepersonalized, by using the patient's name, phone number and/or emailaddress, and/or sent to the VIP Patient on the patient's mobile deviceand/or to their email address.

The VIP Program of the present invention may be implemented as acommunication service that performs the steps of: enrolling at least onemedical practice/healthcare professional to participate as VIP Merchantsin the membership program; obtaining some personal information from aVIP Patient such as name, phone number and email address; contacting theVIP Patient via a remote device belonging to the patient to—obtainconfirmation that the VIP Patient desires to participate in the VIPProgram; and periodically providing information to the VIP Patientconcerning a message from their VIP Merchant physician/healthcareprovider.

1. A method of implementing a product and/or service promotionmembership program, comprising the steps of: a. enrolling at least onebusiness to participate in the membership program; b. obtaining personalinformation from a consumer; c. contacting the consumer to: i. obtainconfirmation that the consumer desires to participate in the membershipprogram; and ii. obtain information about the consumer's interest inproducts or services provided by the participating business; and d.periodically providing information to the consumer concerning apromotion available to the consumer at the participating business. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: e. allowing the consumer totake advantage of the promotion without purchase a coupon.
 3. The methodof claim 2, further comprising: f. allowing the consumer to takeadvantage of the promotion without employing the use of a membershipcard.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the personal informationobtained in step b is the consumer's phone number.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein as a part of step c, personal information about theconsumer is obtained, including the consumer's name.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein as a further part of step c, the name of the consumer'ssignificant other is obtained.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein whenstep d is performed, the information is personalized, by using theconsumer's name.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein when step d isperformed, the information is further personalized by using thesignificant other's name.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein step d isperformed by sending a message to the consumer about the promotion onthe consumer's remote device and further including the step of theconsumer taking advantage of the promotion by showing the message on hisor her remote device to an employee of the business.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the personal information in step b is collected whilethe consumer is visiting the business.
 11. A method of implementing aproduct and/or service promotion membership program, comprising thesteps of: a. enrolling at least one business to participate in themembership program; b. obtaining some personal information from aconsumer; c. contacting the consumer via a remote device belonging tothe consumer to: i. obtain confirmation that the consumer desires toparticipate in the membership program; and ii. obtain information aboutthe consumer's interest in products or services provided by theparticipating business; d. periodically providing information to theconsumer concerning a promotion available to the consumer at theparticipating business, wherein the promotion is tailored to theconsumer's interest; and e. allowing the consumer to take advantage ofthe promotion without purchase a coupon.
 12. The method of claim 11,further including the step of determining if the consumer takesadvantage of the available promotion.
 13. A method of implementing aproduct and/or service promotion membership program, comprising thesteps of: a. enrolling at least one business to participate in themembership program; b. obtaining the telephone number or email addressof a consumer while the consumer is visiting a business participating inthe membership program; c. contacting the consumer via a text message oremail sent to the consumer's remote device to: i. obtain confirmationthat the consumer desires to participate in the membership program; andii. obtain personal information about the consumer; d. periodicallyproviding a message to the consumer via text or email concerning apromotion available to the consumer at the participating business; ande. making the promotion available to the consumer by having the consumershow the message on his or her remote device to an employee at thebusiness.
 14. The method of claim 13, further including the step oftracking information about the consumer.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the promotion is determined based on the information about theconsumer.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the information about theconsumer includes the consumer's preferences and the promotion isdetermined based on the consumer's preferences.
 17. The method of claim14, wherein the information about the consumer includes the consumer'sinterests and the promotion is determined based on the consumer'sinterests.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the information about theconsumer includes the consumer's purchase history and the promotion isdetermined based on the consumer's purchase history.
 19. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the promotion is determined based on the consumer'slocation.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein when step d is performed,the information is personalized, by using the information about theconsumer.